There are many reasons why people install electric fencing around their premises, whether it is a building or a piece of land. Electric fencing is really useful as it acts as a strong barrier to prevent the movement of both animals and people in and out of the contained area. There are three classified shock levels which vary between moderate, painful and lethal.

In agriculture electric fencing provides many advantages. Livestock is usually contained within a field or piece of land and the purpose of the fencing is to stop them escaping. The shock given to the livestock ranges between moderate and painful, but this varies according to the animal that is being contained. For example, the level of electric current passing through the wiring containing sheep will be a lot less than the current passing through electric wiring containing a horse. This is because the thickness of the skin and the pain threshold of a horse is a lot more than a sheep, a stronger current is therefore needed to deter the horse.

Electric fencing surrounding livestock also helps prevent unwanted guests, such as predators or humans entering. For example, farmers keeping livestock such as chickens or sheep often find that predators such as foxes try to access the pens to kill the livestock. Many farmers that have installed this type of fencing around the pen perimeters have seen a massive decline in the amount of livestock lost to kills from other animals. However, when installing electric fencing around your premises you must regularly check the fence to see if has been disrupted or interfered with as the current can easily be lost if the circuit is broken, by objects or animals.

Electric fencing provides many advantages when it is used to guard the perimeters of both high security prisons and closed land borders. The level of electric current passing through the wiring at this level is lethal and will kill on impact.

There are many non-lethal types of fencing that will cause a moderate to painful shock level. This type of fencing is used to protect government properties and military bases from unwanted trespassers. Many airports and private properties are also surrounded by this non-lethal type of electric fencing. Airports use it to protect the runways from wild animals passing through as properties use it to protect against intruders. Accompanied with the electric fence is usually an alarm or a signal of some kind to alert people or animals of the potential danger if they come into contact with the fence.

There are several benefits to be had from installing electric fencing around your property. Some places benefit more from the installation than others do because some places are more likely to be vandalized than other places are.

Electric fencing allows you to have a tangible, visible, and realistic, deterrent against unwanted visitors on your property. Unwanted visitors are those that would vandalize the premises, steal something from the premises, or someone that could be injured because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is especially true of places that may have dangerous chemicals or tools in areas that children could possibly stumble onto them and injure themselves.

Electric fencing will cut down on the number of times your property is burglarized. This type of deterrent sends an electric shock to the person that tries to breach it without actually injuring the person permanently. The best part of it all is that once someone realizes how painful those electric shocks can be they are reluctant to try another fence that says it is electric fencing.

Electric fencing can be installed to work in conjunction with the CCTV you already have in place. This means that the fence can alert you to the possibility of the intrusion and the police can be summoned to the property with a remote alarm system. This might give law enforcement the opportunity to catch the criminals in the act and take them off the streets for good.

Electric fencing can retain its power to shock when it is tampered with for up to ten hours after the supply of electricity is disabled. So even if a criminal disables the electric they will get a shock when they try to cut the fence, or climb the fence, or open the gate without the proper code. In case of a power outage or a black out you will have no reason to worry because your fence will still be on guard. During power outages are the most frequent times for vandalism and robberies of some types of establishments.

Your property will be safe from thieves, vandals, and others, and your insurance rates on the structures on the property may be lowered because of the electric fencing. When you have this type of deterrent in place you are less likely to have insurance claims filed saying someone was injured on the property, and you are less likely to file claims claiming loss of property due to theft.

This type of enclosure is more suited to commercial properties than to homes in subdivisions due to the close proximity of homes to each other. Most homeowners do not wish to inadvertently cause pain to small children or pets that cannot read the warnings about the possibility of electric shock.

When you do install this type of enclosure signs warning people that they can and will be shocked if they touch the fence must be clearly placed along the perimeter of the fenced off area. These warnings protects you from liability should someone touch the enclosure.

Electric Fencing is usually made from a steel wire and comes in different thickness levels as well as a range of designs. When installing this around your property it needs to be earthed from all elements and materials that can typically cause the fence to short out, set fire or conduct electricity. Any materials such as vegetation should be kept away from the electric fencing and this should never be attached to any metal or wood posts. All electric fencing should be attached to insulators made from plastic or porcelain.

Fundamentals of Electric fencing

With the fencing connected to a powered energiser a short high voltage electrical pulse can be generated when contact is made with the wire. As one of the terminals are connected to the powered energiser producing an electrical pulse at the rate of 1 per second the other terminal is connected to a rod made from metal which is embedded in the earth’s crust. This is typically known as an earth rod or ground rod. How this works is once the animal or person touches the wire fencing and the earth’s crust which the ground rod is embedded, an electrical pulse will be generated and an electric shock received.

Can the Electric Shock Cause Harm?

Many aspects can influence the amount of electricity and ultimately the type of shock the recipient receives. The voltage levels, the amount of contact made between the person or animal and the fence, the amount of energy carried in the pulse and the route the current takes as it passes through the body are just a few of the factors that can make the difference in an electric shock. Some people hardly notice a shock from an electric fence, others feel the uncomfortable pain and for few the shock results in death.

Different Types of Electric Fencing

There are two different types of this fencing, non-lethal and lethal. Non-lethal is widely used in the UK to prevent trespassers and is common with private land owners and government bodies. Examples of this include anything from housing communities and commercial factories to prisons and military bases. In addition to causing an electric shock this also act as monitored burglar alarm system.

Lethal fencing is designed to send very strong electrical impulses down the fence wire to have a detrimental effect on what comes into contact with it. Usually this lethal type is used for anti-personnel purposes such as closing off access to bordering countries, concentration camps in the early wars and some high security prisons.